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New Batteries!

Yahoo Message Number: 9073
When we bought our coach last June, the previous owner said that the batteries had been replaced and weren't too old. I didn't pay much attention to their spec, but have been faithfully checking fluid level (which seldom needed it), but, since I didn't have a hydrometer, I didn't check the gravity of each cell until buying one in Key West, where we dry camped for two three week periods between two 14 day full hookup stints. I then discovered the reason for our rapidly depleting voltage. Several low cells. And the reason? The two "house" batteries were really "cranking" batteries, and I hadn't noticed that. Maybe 'cause of the "upside down" labels? And using our 2,000W inverter every night was really hard on the batteries! (No duhhhhhhhh ... )
Of course, the original owner seldom, if ever, dry camped (like most), so the "cranking" house batteries served him well.
Sooo ... when we arrived in Tampa, we went to a big Interstate Battery place on Bush Boulevard and replaced our batteries with one 1400 CCA 8D cranking battery (the cranking battery had a bad cell, too) ... and two true deep cycle 8D house batteries (I forget the spec).
$617 (incl tax, etc) later, our battery problem is solved ... hopefully for at least several years. I did consider replacing the house batteries with four 6V golf cart batteries, but a review of these 8D deep cycle battery specs changed my mind. And the shop owner concurred. The shop does a lot of work on motorhomes and the owner owns a Prevost bus conversion. And it was a pleasure doing business with him and his shop. Kudos to Interstate Batteries of Tampa, Florida!

Dick (& Geri) Campagna
'98 36' Intrigue #10571
Mfd: 11/97

(at Lazydays RallyPark, Seffner (Tampa), FL)